Revenge Isn't So Sweet
by k9handler1969
Summary: I wrote this story several years ago. This one has a little more violence than my some of my others. Hannibal gets captured by General Chow and tortured. Constructive criticism welcome
1. Chapter 1

Hannibal had just completed his last shot for the day on the set of Aquamania V: The Return when he was told by one of the set workers that he had a phone call in his trailer. He pulled off the head of the Aquamaniac and the clawed gloves, handed them to the worker and headed over to his trailer on the other side of the set, thinking that the phone call could be from Face or BA with a new client for the team. He had just stepped into the trailer when he was grabbed from behind and a foul-smelling cloth was shoved in his face. That was the last thing that he remembered before he passed out and his limp form slid to the floor.

Three days later, a package containing a videotape arrived in the mail at the V.A. hospital in Westwood, CA addressed to Capt. H.M. Murdock. Murdock received the package at about 1 pm that afternoon. When the orderly handed it to him he had just gotten off the phone with Face.

"Murdock, have you heard anything from Hannibal lately?"

"No, I haven't heard from him since he called me from the set three days ago. He was on his break and was just about to go shoot the last scene for the day. Why, haven't you?

"No, I haven't and neither has BA. It's not like him to stay out of contact with us for this long and we're both starting to get worried. He's usually the one on us about saying in contact."

"Why don't you call Maggie Sullivan, Face, up in Bad Rock? You know, he's been going up there a lot lately."

"OK, Murdock. I'll do that. You're right. He might be there. He's been spending a lot of time there this past year. And Murdock if you hear anything, call me."

"Will do, ole facial one."

With that they both hung up the phone. Murdock smiled at the though of Maggie and Hannibal. The colonel had been spending most of his free time lately out in Bad Rock with her. The lovely lady doctor had the old colonel smitten. It was getting to the point that other than their cases she was all he ever talked about. The good doctor had made quite an impression on the colonel. They were perfect for each other. Murdock was glad that Hannibal had finally found that special someone. She was something that the old colonel needed at this time in his life.

Murdock looked the package over before he opened it. He hadn't ordered anything lately and had no idea what it could be. He noted that the postmark was from Orlando, FL and that it had been mailed two days earlier. "Disney world?" he thought. Murdock opened up the package and took out the unmarked videotape inside.

He turned it over and over looking at it and wondering what it was. He took the tape over to his VCR and slipped it in. He then sat down and pushed the play button on his remote. A few minutes later, with a horrified look on his face, wanting to throw up he hit the stop button, got up and stumbled over to his phone to call BA and Face. He told them to get over here ASAP. He knew what had happened to Hannibal.

When BA and Face arrived at the VA hospital, they headed straight for Murdock's room. When they arrived Murdock still had the look on his face that he had when he had called them. His mood was as if someone had died. He handed the wrapping that the tape had come in over to Face and pushed play on the VCR.

All thee of them looked on with terror in their hearts at what was happening on the screen in front of them. It was so dark that they could not tell what kind of building that he was being held in. Hannibal was sitting in a straight-backed chair with his hands tied behind the back of the chair and that was the only thing keeping him in the chair in a sitting position.

He was unconscious. His head was lying heavily on his chest. His face told the story of at least one earlier beating. He had blood running out of his mouth and nose. It was slowly dripping off his chin to splatter on the floor. His left eye was almost completely closed and his face was turning an awful shade of purplish-black in several places. He looked like he had just come from the set of a Rocky movie.

Someone walked up from the side and threw a bucket of cold water on the helpless colonel to wake him up. They wanted him, as well as the guys watching the tape to feel every blow as it was delivered. In the background the guys could hear a low, satanic laugh. They knew that laugh. They'd heard it often enough. They all remembered it from the POW camp. It was Chow's laugh.

They all looked at one another as they remembered and wondered how Chow had gotten out of prison. He was supposed to be there for the next twenty years, along with his drug-running buddy Tommy Angel, the prison camp snitch. They looked at one another, wondering how Chow had gotten out of prison. They turned back to the screen. Hannibal's eyes were now open and he lifted his head up wearily and looked around.

"Wake up now, so we can proceed," Chow's voice came in from the background "It's time you paid the price for your insolence back in Vietnam and for putting me in federal prison here in the United States. I lost a considerable amount of face with my government when you escaped from my care."

"I wouldn't call that care Chow, I'd call it brutality. Is that the only way you can be a man?" growled Hannibal.

Hannibal's remark made Chow very angry and the guys watched in horror as Chow's men laid blow after blow to Hannibal until he was again unconscious and unable to feel anything. When the men noticed that Hannibal was again out of it they stopped. Chow wanted him to feel everything. They cut him from the chair that he was bound to and he collapsed forward to the floor like a ragdoll.

They two men who had been beating Hannibal then tied his hands far apart on a long metal rod with the rod resting on his shoulders. They then hooked two chains to the D-rings on the end of the rod and hoisted Hannibal off the ground. His feet were barely touching the ground.

Again they douse his battered body with cold water to bring him around. He lifted his head painfully and looked around, taking note of where he was. One of the men then ripped off the colonel's shirt. At that point they put the lens cover back on the camera, but it was still rolling.

The guys could not see anything, but they could still hear what was going on. They heard leather striking bare flesh and cringed at the thought of what was happening. They knew it was no trick from Chow. They could hear the sharp intakes of breath from Hannibal as the leather struck the bare skin of his back and could see his face in their imagination trying to bite back the pain and not scream. Hannibal was not going to give Chow that satisfaction. After about ten minutes the sounds stopped.

The guys figured that Hannibal had passed out again from the pain. They could still hear Chow's satanic laughter in the background. Murdock then stopped the tape; there was no more on it. The guys looked at each other. Not quite knowing what to do. They were all in a state of shock and dismay. It was a few minutes before Murdock finally spoke up.

"The postmark on the tape is from Orlando, FL. Two days ago. All of that happened at least two days ago! I wonder what kind of shape Hannibal's in now and what else they've done to him?"

"Not good, from the look of him on that tape. Chow wants him to pay for the past and for us to suffer as well wondering what they are doing to him and we are helpless to stop it," Face said bitterly. "What do we do now, Hannibal's always the one who comes up with the plan."

"We go get him, man and we make that little bastard pay. We beat him once, by escaping, we can do it again and he's gonna pay for hurtin Hannibal," BA growled with the fiercest look on his face that the other two had ever seen. "He's gonna pay."

"Well, we know it has to be somewhere near Orlando, but where?" Murdock said as he picked up the box that the tape had come in. Inside of the box in the corner was a small price tag with the name of a store. "HEY guys, look! I bet they are near this store. All we have to do is find out where it is."

Face took the box and looked at the tag "That can't have been just missed. They left it there for a reason. Probably for us to find and go out there. It has to be a trap. OK, we find the store. But first we have to get Murdock out of here and get us a plane." They both looked over at BA.

"I know man, we gotta fly. Hannibal's life is a stake. It's the fastest way. No hassells from me."

"OK, now that is settled, how do we get Murdock out of here?"

"Face, you let me handle that, you get to work on getting us a plane." Murdock got up from his chair, took the tape out of the VCR and headed out of the room. He was headed to Dr. Richter office. Dr. Richter owed the team for saving his life when Colonel Mac Stoddard kidnapped him and the team went in and saved his life. Murdock knocked on the doctor's door and pushed it open "Doc, you mind if I talk to ya a minute."

"Sure, Murdock. Anytime. What's on your mind, so to speak." Dr. Richter looked at the serious look on Murdock's face "What's wrong, Murdock. Did someone die?''

"I hope not doc. I hope not." Murdock explained what had just transpired and showed Dr. Richter the tape. The doctor was as horrified as the team when he saw it.

"You need out to go find him, is that it?"

"Yes, doc it is." Murdock looked at him. Dr. Richter went back around to his desk and signed some papers and handed them to Murdock.

"Then get out of here and go find him." The doctor paused, then added "Murdock, do you know a medical doctor because I think you should take one with you if you do. From the look of the colonel on that tape, and that was two days ago. He's gonna need one...And Murdock if you or any of the others need anyone to talk to, please let me know. Especially your Colonel Smith. He has been tortured very badly and he's going to need someone he can trust to talk it out with."

"I'll let him know you care, doc. Wish us luck. See ya." Murdock headed out of the doctor's office and back down the hall to his room.

He walked into the room and waved the papers at Face "Piece of cake, as Hannibal would say. You get the plane."

"Yeah, I got it. How'd you do that.''

''Doctor Ricther owes us, remember. Oh yeah, he suggested that we take a doctor with us and I can think of only one we can trust. Doctor Ricther is right, Hannibal may not be in any kind of shape to move and will need one.''

"Hannibal will kill us all if we go to her," Face replied.

"Face, Hannibal may not survive to kill us if we don't and she is the only one that we can trust."

"Murdock, you're right. You take the tape, get a chopper and head to Bad Rock to get her. BA and I will get the plane and get it loaded.''

"Face, do ya think she should see that tape? You know how much she cares about Hannibal. It might upset her so much, she might not want to go."

"She has too, Murdock, so she knows what she is getting into and what supplies she may need. She was a surgeon over in Nam. She can take it. But, use your own judgement."

With that exchange they all left the room and went on their perspective tasks.

Murdock got a chopper and headed to Bad Rock.

He landed the chopper in a field just opposite of Maggie Sullivan's house. He still wasn't sure about showing her the tape. She came out to meet him. She had been worried ever since Face had called looking for Hannibal.

"Something has happened to Hannibal, hasn't it. Murdock, what is it!"

"Doc, I got a tape in the mail today. Face thinks you ought to see it, but I don't. It's pretty bad."

"Murdock, someone's done something to Hannibal and it's on that tape, is that it?" indicating the tape that Murdock was clutching tightly in his hand.

"Yeah, doc. It is and I don't think you ought to see it. It'll just upset you."

"Murdock, I love Hannibal, you know that. But if you want me to go with you, I have to know what I am getting into here and what I might need to take with me. I saw a lot of pretty badly wounded and mangled soldiers over in Vietnam. I'll be alright, I hope."

"OK, doc. I'll show it to you right now. As I said, it's not pretty, in fact when I saw it I wanted to throw up. Just want to warn you. Then get what you need because we have to get out of here quick and back to LA."

Murdock showed Maggie the tape. She had the same horrified look on her face that they had. She was trying to hold back her tears as she packed her bag and gathered the medical supplies that she would need. Murdock looked on, wondering how she was holding it all together. She was one gutsy lady. Hannibal had picked one hell of a woman to fall in love with.

" Don't try to take everything, only what you think you'll need. Hold it together, doc and hope for the best. That's all we can do right now."

"That's the problem, Murdock from the look of him, looks like we're going to need everything, including the kitchen sink." She was trying to throw a little humor into the situation, but it wasn't helping much. "How are you keeping it together, Murdock."

"Me doc, just barely. I just keep praying and hope God answers them." Murdock picked up some of the bags and headed out the door with Maggie on his heels carrying the others.

They met BA and Face at the airport and loaded the rest of the equipment on the plane. They took off minutes later headed for Florida. Maggie kept watch on BA to make sure he was going to be ok during the flight. Murdock had told her about his fear of flying. BA's overwhelming concern for Hannibal was keeping him from thinking about being in the air. All he could think about was how he was going to tear Chow and his men limb from limb when he got a hold of them. Murdock looked at Face after takeoff.

"Face, what did ya find out about that store?"

"Well, its out near the space center. There is a small airport just about a mile from it. That's probably how they brought Hannibal in. But, since they are probably going to be waiting on us there, we aren't going to go there. There is another airport. It's a private little grass strip about 15 miles from the other airport. That's our best option not to be seen by Chow and his men.

They will be betting that we will take the most direct route to get there and are not thinking clearly. When we land, we'll go, rent a van and drive out to that store. Maggie's our best bet not to be recognized. She can go in and find out if they are in the area. See if they are watching for us."

"That's a good plan, Face. Hannibal would be proud, but mad as hell about you putting Maggie in any kind of danger. But, he'll get over it. Your right, it is our best option. You up for it, doc."

"You bet ya, Murdock. Anything for Hannibal."

They reviewed the plan several more times to be sure they each knew their role. Silence soon settled over the small group as each contemplated what was about to happen, hoping that Hannibal was still alive to rescue.


	2. Chapter 2

Three days earlier, after Hannibal had passed out from the pain and the videotape was turned off, he was lowered to the floor and cut loose from the pole. The guards then bound his hands behind his back and both of his ankles together. He was then taken outside and dumped into a sweatbox located in front of the building. It was about ten in the morning and it was already above 100 in the box.

He regained consciousness a few hours later. The sun was beginning to get low in the sky, but the inside of the box was still like an oven. He was beginning to get dangerously dehydrated. Chow hadn't allowed him to have anything to eat or drink since this nightmare began. He was covered with sweat, running off his body in rivuls and into the open wounds on his bare back, causing him even more pain. Sweat was running down his face and with no way to wipe it away, into his eyes causing them to sting badly.

He tried to move a little bit to get a better view of the what was outside of the box through a loose slat in the wall of the box, all the while his bruised and damaged ribs and muscles protesting even the slightest movement. Well, he thought what's a little more pain. He tossed his head from side to side trying to stop the flow of sweat from running into his eyes, but all that did was make his head throb worse. The ground underneath him as extremely wet, he noted.

He then looked out of the broken slat and saw the sun starting to go down. He then saw the folage and trees and knew that he was not in California. It was not until he saw a very large animal foraging around in the garbage dump on the perimeter of the camp that he realized that he must be in the swamps of either Florida or Lousisana. He saw a alligator, at least ten feet long and probably hungry.

He leaned up against the back of the box, trying to ignore the intense pain in his back and ribs. Breathing was pure agony, like trying to breath fire. He was trying to come up with a plan. A way to escape. But Chow seemed to have thought of everything. By keeping Hannibal bound hand and foot he had no way to get out of the box. Chow had made that tape to send to the guys for a reason. He wanted to get them down here.

To get revenge on them as well. But why? This whole setup can't just be for revenge, Hannibal thought. But then again, with Chow it very well could be. Revenge could be his only motive. He had lost considerable amount of face with the Vietnamese government when they escaped after almost a year in that prison camp. One would not have thought they would have been able to in the shape that they had been in at the time.

That's what the guards had thought then, and Hannibal and the team had taken advantage of that. On top of that they had captured him here in the U.S. and turned him in to the authorities. Because he had been caught with Tommy Angel and a considerable amount of heroin, he had wound up in a federal prison.

Tables had been turned, but how did he get out of prison? That was a good question, one that Hannibal did not have an answer to. Knowing Chow as well as he did, he figured that at some point Chow would tell him his reasons, so Hannibal would know before he died. From what he could see, Chow had gone through an awful lot of trouble to set this place up like a small prison camp. Trying to play on old emotions, Hannibal guessed.

It had a barbed wire fence ten feet tall surrounding the camp, with guards posted several places along the fence. There were not many guards; he didn't need that many, but enough that Hannibal could not escape even if he could get out of the box. He could not get far anyway; Chow's guards had done too good a job of beating him. He could barely move.

He hoped that the guys would not come directly to the area. He hoped that they would do something that Chow would not expect. But that tape of him being beaten had probably shook them all up, which is what Chow wanted in the first place. Chow wanted to get them so they wouldn't think straight. He hoped that they had their heads squared away, or they would all wind up like he was at that moment, beaten and half-dead.

A few minutes later, the guards returned and pulled Hannibal from the box. They cut the ropes binding his ankles together and pulled him to his feet. They then manhandled him back to the main building. Hannibal though, after been in the same position for a long time could barely stay on his feet and the guards had to help him climb the steps into the building. After entering they shoved him into the same straighbacked chair that he had been tied to before.

Hannibal could only glare at them, not saying a word, at least not yet. Chow walked into the room off Hannibal's right. Hannibal turned his head to stare at him. Chow returned the look that Hannibal gave him. Hannibal saw it in his eyes. The man was completely nuts. All he really wanted was revenge. That was what this was all about.

"Well, Smith. Do you have any regrets?"

"Are you kidding, dirt bag. What regrets would I have for you? You're a blot on the face of the planet. You need to be in a place with padded walls and bland food."

Chow went off his rocker and ordered his men to start all over again. They proceeded to beat Hannibal unmercifully. To Hannibal, it seemed like days until he finally fell unconscious. The guards continued beating him until he was again unconscious. After that they again took him out, bound his ankles together and threw him back in the box.

This continued for the next two days. When they noticed Hannibal was again awake, they would drag him in for another beating session. By the third day, Hannibal knew he could not take much more of this. On the evening of the third day, when he finally came around again it was nearly nightfall and cooling off rapidly. He noticed that the ropes binding his hands were getting looser, then he realized why.

They had never been removed like the ones around his ankles and the dampness of the ground that he was sitting on was making the ropes stretch. He finally had an edge, one that Chow had not figured on, but to take advantage of it, he had to wait on the team. Because in the condition that he was in right now, he knew he would never make it to the fence before he was caught. He had to bide his time and wait it out. Since night had fallen, he knew they would not be back for him till morning.

Chow had seemed to be getting a little nervous in the last session. He had not spotted Smith's team yet. But according to his sources in LA, they had left by plane hours ago. Hannibal had overheard some of the guards talking near him about the team's disappearing act. They didn't know he was awake. Hannibal let out a sigh of relief. At least one member of his team had kept their head on their shoulders. He leaned back against the wall of the box and tried to get a little rest. All he could do now is wait.


	3. Chapter 3

What Hannibal and Chow did not know was that the team was already in the area. They had arrived a few hours before at an airport that Chow had not planned on. They rented a van and according to plan drove to the store that the price tag on the tape had came from. Maggie went into the store to check it out. She walked around looking at various items in the store. She went to the register and asked the clerk directions and then returned to the van and drove a mile down the road.

She had spotted one of Chow's men in the store and didn't want to cause undue suspicion. He just didn't seem to fit in with the people coming into and out of the store. He wasn't even looking at anything, just standing in the corner and watching the door. He was so obvious; he wasn't hard to spot, even for Maggie. They needed the element of surprise and the location of the camp. So, they waited until someone came to relieve him and in turn followed him back to the camp.

When the man that the team had been following turned off the main road onto a small dirt road that could barely be seen from the highway, they went on past as to not attract attention by pulling onto the road. They went on a little ways farther and pulled off to the side of the road. They needed to scout the area and get a better feel for what they were getting into.

"Maggie, you stay here and stay outa sight. We'll check out the area and be right back," Face ordered

"But" Maggie started, but Face put his finger to his lips

"No buts, Maggie. We need you to stay here and keep a watch for anything unusual. We also need you to stay with the van in case we get into any trouble. You may have to come in to get us. Just keep down and outta sight. If something happens and we get caught, go to the backup plan. Get to the nearest phone and call Colonel Decker. It maybe our only hope of getting ourselves and Hannibal out alive. Monitor the radio. Believe me, we will need you later. You will be the whole show." Maggie nodded.

"Alright, you win Faceman. For now. You three be careful. I already have one patient I have to patch up, I don't need anymore."

"That's a deal, doc. Catch ya on the flipside" replied Murdock.

Face, BA and Murdock then left the van and headed off in opposite directions. Each taking a seperate route to approach the camp. They were all armed and carrying radios to communicate with each other the layout of the camp for each other's vantage point. Face climbed up a tree and looked over the entire camp, noting how much it had been made to look like the old prison camp, only smaller.

He was looking for anyplace that they might be holding Hannibal. He then spotted the sweatbox just outside the main building, there was one guard standing near it. The light went off in his head "BINGO", he though. Chow was playing on the old memories of the POW camp. Trying to bring Hannibal even more pain than by just torturing him, he thought. He was trying to bring back the memories of the prison camp, too.

He climbed back down the tree and headed back to the van. Murdock approached the camp from the same side as the garbage dump. He noticed the same alligator that Hannibal had noticed a few days earlier. But the gator was so full from eating all that garbage; he didn't pay Murdock even a glance as he crept by, rather cautiously. "Wally gator," he thought, then shook his head, he had to stay with the matters at hand. He took note what was on his side of the camp, staying out of sight of the guard just a few feet away on the other side of the fence. He also noticed the box and the guard posted near it.

The same light that hit Face also hit him as well. He checked everything out for a few minutes more and headed back to the van. BA approached from behind the main building. He noted to himself that there were no guards posted there. Probably because at night, it was too dark to see anything and the animals that came out after dark. The guards stayed out where there was more light. This would be the easiest place to get in without being seen. But they needed some kind of diversion to get the upper hand, he thought. He crept back into the woods and headed back to the van.

After they had met back at the van, they went over what they had seen. Both Face and Murdock were sure that Hannibal was in the box.

"Why's that," Maggie asked?

"Because it would be just like Chow to keep him there and there's a guard posted near it. If no one is in there, why the guard. Chow maybe trying to play games with Hannibal's mind by reminding him of the prison camp. No telling how long he has been in there," Face replied.

"The easiest place to get in is behind the main building," BA brought up. "There are no guards posted there. Probably afraid of things that go bump in the night."

"Like that alligator near the garbage dump," Murdock piped in. "Wally gator." BA glared at him and Murdock kept quiet.

"Speaking of that BA, Face stated, trying to keep control of the situation at hand. "It's almost dark now. OK, we go in behind the main building, but we still need a diversion. Something to get the guard's attention, so we can start taking them out. Any ideas?" Face asked.

"How about me going up and asking them for directions or something, Face." Maggie asked. "They would never expect it."

"No, Maggie. It's too dangerous. Hannibal'll have our hides for that one," Face said emphaticly.

"Unless, you have a better plan Face, we're running out of time here. I say we go with Maggie's plan. I rather have Hannibal mad at us than dead anyday" Murdock replied.

"Me too," BA added, looking at Face "The doc's a gutsy lady, especially where Hannibal is concerned. I say let her do it. They'd never expect it."

"OK, looks like I'm outvoted here. We go with Maggie's idea. Hannibal can kill us later. Maggie wait till we get into position, we'll call you when we are ready. Then just drive up the road and act natural."

"Natural?"

"You know what I mean, like your lost or something. Anything. Just get their attention."

"Got ya"

"And Maggie, stay there until the party's over. Don't get involved in the fight."

The guys then grabbed their weapons and all the gear that they could carry and headed off into the woods. Time, they knew was running against them. They left Maggie with the same instructions as before. If they got into trouble she was to get to the nearest phone and call the Army for help.

Maggie waited for the guy's signal. After an hour of waiting, it finally came. They were in position. Now, it was up to her. She got into the driver's seat of the van and started the engine. She pulled onto the highway and soon turned down the road to the camp. She pulled up the main gate of the camp and stopped. She got out crying, which when she saw the camp for the first time was not hard, thinking of her Hannibal being in there. She went up to the guard in hysterics, babbling incoherently about hitting someone on the main road and that she needed to call the police to report it.

The guard didn't know what to do with the hysterical woman in his mitts. He turned around to call to the other guards for help, but that was all she wrote for him as Maggie hit him with a hypo full of a sedative and down he went. She then took off into the camp, searching for Hannibal.

As soon as all the commotion at the main gate began, the guys began their attack on the guards, taking them out one at a time. Not expecting an attack to come from within the camp, they were caught totally off guard. One of the guards, who had been out using the latrine, saw what was going on and instead of heading for the fighting, headed for the fence. He didn't want to be captured. He was afraid.

Hannibal heard the commotion going on near the main gate and decided that this must be the guys attacking the camp. He stretched on the ropes around his wrists until they finally came off. He then untied his ankles and waited for the right time to attack. He knew Chow would come after him. He wanted his revenge and nothing was going to stop him, Hannibal knew, so he waited for Chow to make his appearance.

Chow came outside the building at the first sign of trouble and headed directly for the box that Hannibal was being kept in. He was so consumed by the though of revenge, he didn't take note of what was going on around him. As soon as he opened the door to the box, Hannibal attacked. He caught Chow flatfooted with a right hook to the jaw.

Chow was not expecting an attack by his prisoner and he went down with a thud like a sack of potatoes. Hannibal had put all he could into the punch and with his already shaky balance the force of the blow sent him stumbling over Chow to the ground. He started to try and get up to help the guys out, but found himself looking up into the large, brown eyes of Maggie Sullivan.

He shook his head trying to figure out who he was seeing, since she shouldn't be there. But as he opened his eyes and looked up again, there she was. I must be dreaming, he thought.

Maggie put her hand on his chest and pushed him down, he wasn't strong enough at that point to resist her. "Hannibal, stay down. Let the guys take care of it! That's an order, colonel!" Hannibal looked her realizing that she was really there. She wasn't a dream. She began looking him over, tears in her eyes at what Chow had done to him. From what she could see in the dim light of the camp, he was badly hurt and was going to down for quite a while, but there was nothing she could do for him till they got him out of the camp and to someplace that she could take care of him. Murdock soon came over.

"Well, we got 'um all rounded up, doc. Including Chow, Hannibal hit him with one hell of a shot. He's still out cold. I think his jaw's broken. Hi'ya colonel." Hannibal managed a weak smile. Both Maggie and Murdock looked up as they heard a scream from the otherside of the camp, just outside of the fence they saw a man thrashing around, a large alligator attached to his right hand.

"He must've run in Wally", Murdock said. Murdock looked down at Hannibal, trying to look a little more cheerful, but he just couldn't. Not while seeing in the flesh what Chow had done to his friend. "Murdock, help me get him up and get him to the van, then go help the others."

"Sure, doc." With Murdock's help, they both got Hannibal to his feet and helped him walk over to the van. Maggie climbed in and helped Hannibal into the back of the van and laid him down on the soft pallet they had made up for him in the back of the van. Murdock took off to help the others.

Maggie slipped a pillow under Hannibal's head. She bent down and gave him a kiss on his forehead and smiled. He smiled weakly back at her. She picked up her bag and moved to his side. She got out the alcohol and swabbed an area of his left arm. She then started an IV on him; he was so dehydrated and exhausted. She needed to get fluids into him in a hurry. At the moment that was all she could do for him. That and make him as comfortable as possible till they got him where she could treat him. He looked up at her.

"Maggie can you get me a drink of water", his voice barely a whisper. She grabbed the canteen from the front of the van. She supported his head and helped him take a drink.

"Easy, Hannibal. Not so fast. Just sip it." He nodded that he had had enough, so she laid his head back down on the pillow. He soon drifted off into a light sleep.

Face stuck his head in the back door of the van. "Maggie, we're ready to go, are you?"

"Yes, Face. I've done all I can do for him here. Let's go."

Face climbed in the back of the van with Maggie, while BA climbed in and took the wheel and Murdock took what would usually be Hannibal's seat up front. They headed up the small dirt road and headed back towards the little store.

When they got there, they stopped the van for a few minutes while Face got out and called the police to come pick up Chow and his men. Face and Murdock had found a stash of heroin while at the camp. It seems that Chow had gone back in the drug business, so that was all well and good. The police had a reason to arrest Chow and send him back to prison. Face then climbed back in the van.

They headed for small cottage ten miles away that they had rented earlier in the day. As soon as they got there, Face and BA rigged up a stretcher to get Hannibal into the house. The noise and movement soon woke him up. He looked up at them. Boy, he was sure glad to see them. "Hi'ya guys" he managed to get out. His voice was barely audible. Maggie came up to his side "Shhhh, Hannibal. Just relax, don't try to talk." BA and Face picked him up, moved him into the house and put him on the bed in the master bedroom.

Maggie came over and started cutting the filthy clothing off him. She had to get him cleaned up before she could do anything. She couldn't see the injuries for all the mud and dried blood that was caked on his body. Before she started, she sedated him so he would not feel any more pain.

When she got him cleaned up, she began assessing his injuries. Hannibal was a mess. She cleaned and bandaged the seeping wounds on his back, those on his wrists and ankles and bound his broken ribs. She then cleaned the cuts and lacerations on his face. Most of his face, chest and stomach had turned a purplish-black from all the beatings that he had taken over the last three days. There was not much on his body that was not bruised in some fashion or another.

As soon as she had taken care of his injuries, she gave him a shot of antibiotics, hoping to head off any infection that might come up. He had been in that box a long time and it was ripe for infection. It was going to be several days before they could even think of taking him back to California.

Maggie looked up as Murdock, Face and BA came into the room. They had concern written all over their faces. She looked at them. "He's OK for now. Why don't you guys go get some sleep. I need to keep an eye on him for awhile. One of you can relieve me in about four hours." They all looked at Hannibal's sleeping form in the bed and nodded. Murdock said "OK, doc. I'll come relieve you and we'll all take turns keeping an eye on the colonel. See ya in four hours."

The guys then headed out of the room and to bed. The tension of the last few days ebbing from them. They were all so tired.

The next two days went like that. Each taking turns watching Hannibal. Maggie was keeping him sedated and asleep; knowing that what he needed the most was rest. By the third day, the guys were beginning to get underfoot and making Maggie a nervous wreck, so she suggested that they get out and see some of the sights of the area. Seeing that they were starting to get on Maggie's nerve, which is something that she didn't need taking care of Hannibal, they agreed.

She was worried enough about Hannibal, they headed off to the space center to check it out. When they returned that evening Hannibal was awake and Maggie was feeding him some beef broth. They could tell from the expression on his face that he was not too happy about it. They all poked their heads into the colonel's room. Glad for any reason to get away from the awful broth Maggie was making him eat, he greeted the guys with a smile on his face.

"Hi'ya guys. Maggie said that you went to the space center. How was it?"

"It was great, Hannibal. All the rockets and things were interesting. Went on the tour and everything. Saw where they launch the space shuttle. Wish there was one on the pad, right now. They have this great film in the IMAX theater. Makes it seem like your there. Wish you could've seen it. Maybe we can come back someday and see a shuttle launch." Murdock said with a flourish.

"Me to, Murdock. May have to come back sometime and check it out. That and Disney world might make a great vacation, someday. What do you think, doc."

"Sounds great, but at this point all I can tell you it's going to be awhile, because Hannibal, guess where you get to stay for at least the next two weeks. IN BED! And no exertion for at least another month after that until your back and ribs heal and no arguments from you or exceptions."

"OK, Maggie. The way I feel right now, you will get no arguments from me."

"Maggie, when do you think we can head back to California? I'm sure that Chow has done some talking to the authorities, telling them that we are in the area. I think that we need to get out of here before Decker and his cronies come looking for us. When will Hannibal be able to travel" Face asked?

"I think he should be ready by tomorrow, Face. If he behaves and eats his soup like a good boy." Hannibal looked at her and made a face "Maggie, have you tasted that stuff, it's awful." Maggie just looked at him, that you're going to do what I tell you to expression on her face. Hannibal finally resigned, knowing he was not going to win this battle and ate the rest of the broth.

"Now, that's a good boy." Hannibal looked at her and grinned "What do I get for finishing my dinner.'' He was getting a devilish light in his eyes. It was obvious to her that he was already feeling better.

"Not now, Hannibal. Now its time for you to get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. That goes for the rest of you as well. Off with you" she ordered as she ushered them out of the room.

All three of them looked at her "Yes ma'am" and hurried out of the room. She looked back at Hannibal

"That goes for you as well, Colonel Smith. Go to sleep." Hannibal echoed that other's reply in a much more subdued tone than the guys

"Yes, ma'am."Maggie looked back at him, concerned, and then turned off the light.

The next day they put Hannibal on a stretcher, for there was not any way in the world Maggie was going to let him get up and walk, no matter how much he complained, left the cottage and headed for the airport. Once they were loaded and airborne, Murdock went back over the cottage.

"Hey, guys. Look." Face, BA and Maggie went to the windows and looked out. It seems they left none to soon, because headed towards the cottage were several green vehicles, with their light bars going and sirens blazing.

"I guess somebody tipped them off. Won't Decker be surprised that no one is there" Face snickered. They were all much happier now they were headed home back to California. Even BA wasn't complaining about flying thus far. He knew that it would get Hannibal home the quickest. But Maggie was keeping an eye on him, nonetheless. After about an hour in the air, Hannibal was asleep again. Maggie had slipped another sedative into his IV. It was easier on him to make the long trip home this way.

Murdock landed the plane on a grassy field ten miles to the west of Bad Rock. Sheriff Hank Thompson met them there. They had called him on their last fuel stop and asked him to meet them with a van. Hannibal was still asleep. Maggie had kept him sedated all the way home. After unloading Hannibal from the plane and loading him in the van, Murdock put a hand on Maggie's shoulder. She turned around to look at the pilot.

"Doc, when Hannibal's strong enough, get him to talk to you about what happened to him. Just keep on him until he does. Badger him until he finally gets out his feelings. If he'll talk to anybody, it'll be you. He cares for you so much. You are all he ever talks about anymore. If you don't get him to open up, he'll keep his feelings inside and it'll eat him up. It'll be just like after the prison camp until we finally got him to talk to us about the things that Chow did to him when we weren't around. For a while after the camp he was hell to be around, trying to make sense of the whole thing, until he finally opened up to us."

"Sure, Murdock. I intended to to do that anyway. He's told me some about that camp. Not much, but enough to know it bothered him, wouldn't be any different this time, now would it? I know him to well."

"OK, doc...We'd better get back in the air, just in case Decker had the air traffic controllers track all air traffic out of the area. We don't want him showing up here, right now," Maggie nodded in agreement.

They heard a loud argument coming from the other side of the van. Hank Thompson was looking on as an interested observer, not saying anything at all. Hoping that he would not have to break up a fight between the two of them. Face and BA were having a disagreement, of sorts.

"Now that Hannibal's safe, I ain't flyin no more. I'll find my own way home."

"Now, BA, who said anything about you flying anymore. How you get home from here is up to you." Murdock and Maggie walked around from the other side of the van, catching the end of the conversation. Maggie walked up to BA and put her hand on his large shoulder

"BA, will you hush it down a little. I don't want you to wake up Hannibal. He's been through enough the last few days."

BA turned to her and nodded, when he turned back Face to finish his conversation with him, Maggie pulled a hypo out of her pocket and BA was soon in la la land, fast asleep. Face and Murdock caught him on his way to the ground.

They looked at her with surprise. She was getting pretty good at that nowadays. She just shrugged, "Learned from the best," indicating the van with her thumb "Glad you get to deal with him when he wakes up, not me. He should wake up in about four hours. Just don't let him get a hold of one of you. One patient is enough to deal with at the moment."

Murdock and Face carried BA to the waiting plane. They climbed in and Murdock started the engines, he looked out to Maggie from the cockpit window and waved. Maggie waved back and climbed into the back of the van with Hannibal. Hank started the van and left the field as the plane was taking off.

Two weeks later, the guys returned to Bad Rock to check on Hannibal and see how he was doing. Murdock knocked on the door, then came into the house when he heard Hannibal's voice say "Come in."

Hannibal was up and moving around the house now, probably starting to get on Maggie's nerves wanting to do more that she would let him. From the look of it she was keeping a pretty tight rein on the mischievous old colonel.

When the guys came in, he went to greet them. He gave all of them hugs, happy to see them. They returned them carefully, still mindful of his healing back and ribs. Hannibal was grinning from ear to ear. He was sure glad to see them. Anything to add something different to what Maggie would let him do. He put a hand on Murdock's shoulder

"Maggie told me about what you told her to do. She bugged me until I talked to her about it. Thanks Murdock. I really did need to do that."

"No problem, colonel. It's something that you would do for any of us and come to think of it, you have on many occasions in the past. It was just your turn, this time."

"And hopefully the last" Hannibal added. He then walked over to Face and BA and put a hand on each of their shoulders. He then reached inside Face's jacket, pulled out a cigar and put it to his lips. But before he could get it lit, Maggie walked by and yanked it from his lips

"I told you no smoking for the next month until those ribs heal. That's an order colonel.'' All the while pointing the cigar and shaking it at him. Hannibal looked at her with a devilish; you make me twinkle in his eyes and gave her a mock salute

"Yes ma'am." She turned and looked at him with the same look. Her own eyes dancing

"We'll discuss this matter later, in private," she turned and walked away, the cigar still in her hand. As Hannibal watched her leave

"You know guys, even though you got Maggie involved in all of this and it wasn't even my plan. I love it when a plan comes together."

THE END


End file.
